This invention relates to an apparatus for the application of lubricant, and more particularly to an apparatus for the application of lubricant to the flange of a locomotive wheel during operation of the locomotive.
An apparatus for the application of lubricant to the flange of a locomotive wheel is, described in U.S. Ser. No. 183,545, filed Apr. 16, 1988, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,218 and entitled "Improved Lubricating Nozzle Apparatus and Method," the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In that application, a lubricating apparatus for delivering a shot of lubricant to a surface to be lubricated is described as having a lubricant inlet port, a lubricant outlet port, and an air inlet port formed in a segmented housing. Lubricant is forced from the lubricant inlet to the lubricant outlet by means of a pneumatically driven piston and cylinder assembly which includes a first piston disposed for reciprocating movement within a piston chamber formed in the housing. A second, smaller-diameter piston operatively attached to the first piston reciprocates within the housing to cause shots of lubricant to be forced from the lubricant inlet port to the lubricant outlet port so that a desired surface may be lubricated.
Although the lubricating device described above has unique advantages, there are instances in which the device has certain disadvantages associated therewith. For example, during the operation of the lubricating device, the interior portion of the housing in which the second piston reciprocates is subject to wear. Consequently, the device needs to be periodically reconditioned. In order to recondition the device, a substantial portion of the segmented housing must be removed from the device, discarded, and replaced with a new housing segment. Such reconditioning is relatively tedious and time-consuming, and the need to replace a substantial portion of the housing is relatively costly. Another disadvantage is that since the second piston reciprocates within the housing, which is typically manufactured of non-hardened material, the rate of wear of the housing is higher than it otherwise could be, thus necessitating more frequent repairs of the lubricating device.